6 Tips to Survive Traveling as a Couple

Nearly a year ago, we started to travel as a couple but it was not always like that… Before I met Miguel, I was on a relationship with my passport and traveling the world as a solo backpacker. At the time we started to date, I had nearly 50 countries cut from my bucket list. Of course I was somehow insecure about starting to travel with him. I was used to doing whatever I wanted, going wherever I wanted, whenever I could. Traveling together can be a little bit challenging, but it’s definitely rewarding. Therefore, we decided to share with you our 6 top tips to make it through a trip with your romance alive!

1. Keep calm and hakuna matata

Couples who travel together, stay together. Well… maybe not! But is there any easiest way to test your relationship in a short period of time? Traveling can be stressful. Sometimes things don’t go the way we planned. There is always the occasion when there is a delay on your first flight and it’s impossible to arrive on time to the second connection. Or when you’re already too tired of carrying your backpack and want to stop for a bit but your partner insists that you must keep going. Or even when you want to travel within a certain budget but your beloved prefers to sleep and eat in fancy places. Sometimes I worry that we may want to kill each other!! So I always remember to keep calm, be happy and take into consideration my partner’s opinion.

2. Challenge your fears

Traveling together is about working as a unit and sharing adventures. It’s crucial to encourage each other to overcome fears and face them together. It’s a special bonding moment that will strengthen your relationship. It may be difficult at the beginning, but once you learn how to accept your partner’s weaknesses the feeling of achievement will be worth it!

Miguel is afraid of heights, so we decided to do bungee jumping and jumped together from a cliff. You know what they say: “you can’t be wise and in love at the same time”. To be honest I think I was even more scared than him… and I’m pretty sure he finally realized what I meant when I told him I wouldn’t let go of him (I held him so tight that I almost broke his rib!!!).

3. Always take some “me time”

Traveling together is quite different from living together in your home country. Why? Because you will be a team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… Only you guys! No friends, no family, no pets…

For sure, once in a while, it will feel good being selfish and having your own space.

So give yourself time out! Take some time to read a book, to “play” with your gadgets, to go for a walk on a beach, to listen to music or just grab a beer at the nearest bar to meet other travelers… Just relax, recharge and renew. Your relationship will thank you later!

4. Share responsibilities

There are many tasks to deal with on the road. You have to decide what’s the best or cheapest way to reach your destination; check if there are any visa requirements to enter the country; search what’s the best time to go there; choose where you’re going to stay; check what currency is accepted… and many other things!

Therefore, you should make sure each one of you has certain responsibilities and decide who is going to do which task to avoid pointless arguments.

We advise you to split these tasks before you start your trip. Your journey will be definitely less stressful and you’ll be able to enjoy your experiences much more.

5. Look after each other’s interests

Of course it helps if you have similar interests. But if not, don’t worry about it, you just have to learn how to balance the time you spend pleasing each other’s interests. We both love to travel, listening to music, outdoor activities, relaxing on the beach and watching sunsets. This means we’re quite lucky, because making decisions on what we want to do and see is not that difficult.

But I really love to dance, so Miguel already knows that at least once a week he has to take me to some party. On the other hand, Miguel really loves watching football matches, so I already know that I’ve to sacrifice myself and watch Benfica lose all the time (he’s going to kill me after reading this!!!). The thing is,

if your partner really wants to do or see something, try to agree and join him/her.

6. Keep the spark alive

You may think that traveling together is always fun and games… However it can get monotonous to always eat cheap meals, go sightseeing every day, or stay at not so fancy places. So every once in a while going out on an actual date can do wonders for your relationship. Even if this means you’ll have to spend some extra money. Believe me, you deserve a romantic date! You can book some beautiful hotel to spend the night, or go to some nice restaurant. A lovely day at a spa with some relaxing massages will also be a great idea. If you prefer to have some fun together you can go to a trampoline park, go bowling or watch a comedy movie. Traveling doesn‘t always have to be about going to museums, chasing waterfalls, sightseeing or looking for the best instagrammable spots… you should all take some time to do the “normal” things you did back home as well to keep the romance alive.

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Welcome to Explorerssaurus

We are Raquel & Miguel, a young Portuguese couple with a passion for travelling, photography and film making. Currently living on a long distance relationship but since love is not on a map, we’ve decided to meet each other every while and then in different countries.